This invention relates to control mechanism for aircraft, more particularly to a single or dual control system operating through a single stick.
There are numerous control mechanisms today for operating the elevator and ailerons of fixed wing aircraft and/or for controlling the cyclic pitch of the rotor of a helicopter. In a single passenger aircraft, the stick is located in front of the pilot and his knees normally straddle the stick. The same is true of dual passenger tandem aircraft. In dual control aircraft where the pilot and copilot or pilot and passenger are seated side by side, each has a stick normally extending upwardly from linkage mechanism below the floor level.
One of the problems with the latter arrangement, i.e., where a pilot and copilot sit side by side, is the need for a relatively complex mechanism to interconnect the two control sticks so that they can move together in side by side and fore and aft directions simultaneously. Another problem is that the vertically extending stick makes access to the aircraft somewhat difficult.
These and other problems were addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,843, which issued Sep. 19, 1978 to Robinson. Robinson disclosed a control mechanism mounted on the center line of the aircraft for the dual control of aircraft having a single vertically extending stick for controlling both longitudinal and lateral orientation of the aircraft. A crossbar was secured to the stick which was connected to a single axis rotational joint permitting both fore and aft and lateral movement of the aircraft by grips located on both ends of the crossbar. The rotational joint, in turn, was connected to mechanism for moving the ailerons, elevator or for controlling the rotor blades of a helicopter.
The crossbar was hinged on the upper end of the stick and was freely pivotal in a vertical plane extending transversely to the axis of the aircraft. The grips, which were mounted on the ends of the crossbar, extend downwardly toward the cockpit floor.
While the Robinson control stick assembly solved many of the problems associated with older constructions of dual controls, the central, upwardly extending stick prevented complete access to the main instrument panel controls. It and the crossbar as mounted impaired visibility of the main instrument panel displays, and inhibited accessibility to the panel controls and instruments. The fact that the crossbar pivoted up and down permitted one grip to be located at a convenient place for one of the two pilots, but in instances where the grip were near the pilot's lap, the other grip, by necessity, would be elevated to a position away from the immediate comfortable access position of the other pilot. In the instance where both pilots have their hands on the grip, as for example, in a teaching process, with one grip elevated and the other one depressed, either or both of the pilots could have their hands in an uncomfortable position.
It is to these problems that the present invention is directed.